Moroccan Instant Pot lentils made with sweet potato, tomatoes, carrots, and a variety of warm spices! Vegan comfort food at it's finest, this recipe is gluten-free, freezer-friendly, and delicious.
The Instant Pot is the true hero when it comes to meal prep, making it easy to bulk prep many recipes - from Moroccan Instant Pot lentils to Instant Pot dal, and this incredible Instant Pot lentil soup!
Moroccan Instant Pot lentils are perfect for meal prep, and they BEYOND easy to make! With no sauteeing and minimal chopping, you can make a big batch for leftovers, and stock up the freezer. No sauteeing means that we can assemble ahead and freeze as an Instant Pot freezer meal, or get it into the pot cooking as quickly as possible.
Made with spices including ginger, cayenne, cinnamon, and paprika - this recipe is bursting with flavor. Perfectly balanced with sweet and savory flavors thanks to the sweet potatoes, maple syrup, and lemon juice. Best of all, this recipe is vegan, gluten-free, meal prep friendly, and freezer friendly!
reasons you'll love this recipe
- the spices pair perfectly with the sweet potatoes and lentils
- it can be meal prepped two ways: as a freezer Instant Pot meal, or cook and portion out leftovers for lunches!
- there's no sautéeing required, and minimal chopping
ingredient notes
- Lentils - This recipe was tested with both whole brown lentils and green lentils. Either one works great! We have not tested with red lentils and suspect that they would overcook and become very mushy in this recipe.
- Sweet potato - add some subtle sweetness. They break down while cooking and add thickness and body to this recipe.
- Veggies - we're using carrot, celery, onion. You could try adding other veggies, although they may break down due to the longer cook time.
- Spices - a blend of paprika, cumin, cinnamon, clove, ginger, onion powder, garlic powder and cayenne adds depth of flavor and warmth to this recipe!
- Maple syrup - for some sweetness without any refined sugar. You can swap for honey, but note that it will no longer be vegan.
step by step directions
combine
Combine all ingredients except the lemon juice in the base of a 6 or 8 quart Instant Pot.
Note - this recipe works in either a 6 quart or 8 quart Instant Pot
Cook
Put the lid on, set the valve to 'sealing', and pressure cook on high for 15 minutes.
Natural Pressure Release
Allow the Instant Pot to naturally depressurize for 10 minutes before releasing the remaining pressure.
Serve
Stir in lemon juice and serve with rice, naan or quinoa.
To assemble Instant Pot freezer meals
Instant Pot freezer meals are a staple in our freezer and they make cooking dinner SO easy! Here's how to assemble Moroccan Instant Pot lentils as a freezer meal:
- assemble all ingredients in a sturdy gallon freezer bag or large glass meal prep container (Ikea has 3 quart ones that will fit this meal!)
- freeze for up to 3 months
- thaw completely before cooking as directed above
FAQ
Disclaimer here, we have not had a chance to test this in the slow cooker. But, reader Kyle reported, "I made this in the slow cooker...6 hours low, 2-3 hours warm and only used 1 cup of water and consistency was perfect!" Please let us know in the comments if this works for you!
You can, but you'd want to add them in after cooking, since 15 minutes will disintegrate most veggies 😉 Try stirring in a few handfuls of spinach, kale or frozen peas after cooking. Alternatively, you could cook ingredients like cauliflower, green beans or zucchini separately, adding them in just before serving.
While we haven't tested it, it should work out no problem and some readers have reported back that they had success with preparing this recipe on the stovetop. Unfortunately, we do not have cook times for you. Leave us a comment below if you give it a try!
storage + meal prep
- Fridge - let leftovers cool completely, then portion out into 2 cup meal prep containers and store in the fridge for up to 4 days
- Freeze - cool leftovers completely, then store in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months
- Thaw - completely overnight in the fridge
- Reheat - until steaming hot in the microwave
Did you make this? Tag me on social @sweetpeasandsaffron and be sure to leave a comment and rate the recipe!
Moroccan Instant Pot Lentils
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole brown lentils or green lentils; uncooked; note 1
- 19 oz can of diced tomatoes juices included
- 2 carrots peeled and chopped
- 1 onion diced
- 2 ribs celery chopped
- 4 cups sweet potato cubes 1 inch; 1 large or 2 small sweet potatoes; note 2
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne increase it for spicy, omit for non-spicy
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup brown sugar or honey work as well
- 2 cups vegetable stock
Add after cooking
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- parsley optional
Instructions
- Combine - all ingredients except the lemon juice in the stainless steel insert of a 6 or 8 quart Instant Pot.
- Cook -Put the lid on, set the valve to 'sealing', and pressure cook on high for 15 minutes.
- Natural pressure release - Allow the Instant Pot to naturally depressurize for 10 minutes before releasing the remaining pressure.
- Serve - Stir in lemon juice and serve with rice, naan or quinoa.
Tips:
- red lentils will not work for this recipe
- we leave the skin on, but feel free to peel if you'd prefer
- Assemble all ingredients except for the lemon juice in a heavy-duty freezer bag, reusable silicone bag, or large meal prep container.
- Freeze for up to 3 months.
- Thaw completely before cooking as indicated above.
- Fridge - let leftovers cool completely, then portion out into 2 cup meal prep containers and store in the fridge for up to 4 days
- Freeze - cool leftovers completely, then store in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months
- Thaw - completely overnight in the fridge
- Reheat - until steaming hot in the microwave
Nutrition Information
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Rick says
Dish is so good its addicting!!!! and its easy to make.
Leah says
Delicious and so quick, easy and affordable to make!
Cathy says
Absolutely delicious
Katharine in Virginia says
This is my go-to recipe for lentil soup! Amazingly tasty. My entire family lives it.
Lacey says
Recipe is great!! I like things spicy so I almost double the cayenne and added approximately 2 tbsps of Cholula hot sauce to the mixture before cooking. Once it was done I added the lemon juice (per the recipe) and did another shake or two of Cholula hot sauce. Can I say, "Chef's kiss?" Oh man it's fantastic!!
Deborah says
Very easy to make. I will at least double and possibly triple the amount of spice next time and will leave out the syrup to make the flavour a bit more to my preferences. I could only find 14.5 oz cans of tomato. I put two cans in. Overall a delicious dinner and I am glad to also have some food in the freezer.
Natalie says
Just tried this out. Delicious! Was so easy and the whole family loved it
Denise Bustard says
Hi Natalie! I'm so happy to hear this. Thank you so much for coming back to leave a review 🙂
Kate says
This was absolutely disgusting, how can you put out something like this? I was so disappointed. Waste of food and money.
Denise Bustard says
Hi Katie, Sorry to hear that you didn't like it. This recipe is actually one of my personal faves. If you could explain what exactly it was that you didn't like about it, it might help me understand if you encountered some technical problems during preparation. Also, it's always good to remember that taste is subjective and different for each of us, so what one person enjoys is not necessarily what others do.
Jordan says
Hi there, I think Kate must be more of a fish finger and chips kind of girl lol, great recipe me and the family are a fan, thank you 🙂
Denise Bustard says
Hi Jordan, I'm so happy to hear you enjoyed it! We just had it for dinner last night too 😀
Karl says
I discovered this recipe a couple of months ago and make it constantly with miscellaneous substitutions like frozen mixed root vegetables from Whole Foods. Versatile and so yummy!
Jillene says
Hi there! I am new to meal prep and stumbled upon your blog. I just made this for the week and WOW!! I am excited to eat lunch. This turned out AMAZING!! I did the stove top version that another user talked about in the comments. Thank you thank you!!
Denise Bustard says
Hi Jilene, Yay, that's SO GREAT to hear! THank you so much for reporting back.
Jamie says
Mushy
Denise Bustard says
Hi Jamie, did you by chance use red lentils in place of brown or green?
Brooke says
This was amazing!!! Meal prepped it for two different families!! Huge hit!
Ben says
I love to hear that, Brooke. Thanks for sharing.
Kristy says
Hi there, I was wondering if it’s possible I could replace the sweet potatos with regular potatoes?
Jasmine @ Sweet Peas & Saffron says
Hi Kristy, you definitely could, though of course, it will change the flavors slightly. Please report back to let us know how it turns out if you do try it with regular portaotes!
Kyle says
What a beautiful combination of flavours and textures. Love the cloves, ginger, cinnamon.
I made this in the slow cooker...6 hours low, 2-3 hours warm and only used 1 cup of water and consistency was perfect!
This will be a regular dish in my meal prep rotation.
Thank you Denise!
Jasmine @ Sweet Peas & Saffron says
Hi Kyle, thank you so much for leaving this amazing rating and review! We are so glad to hear that you enjoyed this recipe - always great to find another favorite to add into your rotation!
Sheila says
Hello Kyle, im interested in making this in my slow cooker, can you advise if you used the 2 cups of Veg stock as well as 1 cup of water or just the 1 cup of water? - many thanks
Jenni says
Thanks for this comment, I was wondering if you could make it in a slow coker, and if so for how long!
Angela says
I can’t even describe how delicious this was! Do not skimp on any of the lengthy spice ingredients because I swear it’s what makes this a masterpiece. I will be making this again and again!
Jasmine @ Sweet Peas & Saffron says
Hi Angela, wow! Such great feedback, we are so glad that you enjoyed it! Hopefully you've found a new favourite to make again and again!
Maggie says
Doubled the recipe in the Instant Pot and used red lentils...😬
Once it reached the sealed stage, I started to worry because I knew it was pretty full (however still under the max line by an inch or two.) But my husband and I decided to play it safe and just turn it off. We kept it on Keep Warm for 17min, then released the steam. Honestly, it's definitely mushy but SO DELICIOUS. Just wanted everyone to know that you really can't mess this one up!
Jasmine @ Sweet Peas & Saffron says
Hi Maggie, so glad to hear that this recipe turned out for you. Thank you so much for taking the time to report back and leave a review! We hope you enjoy this in your weekly meal prep rotation!
Heather says
I lived in Morocco for a long time and they always made lentils this exact same way, in an old fashioned 'cocotte' (pressure cooker). This tasted exactly like the ones my Moroccan family would make:)
Jasmine @ Sweet Peas & Saffron says
Hi Heather, yumm sounds delicious! We're so glad that this recipe lived up to your expectations - thanks so much for taking the time to come back and leave a rating and review!
Maria says
This is a delicious recipe. I made it a few weeks ago, and we loved it so much. I am making it again tomorrow. Thank you for sharing it.
Jasmine @ Sweet Peas & Saffron says
Hi Maria, so glad to hear that you enjoyed these Moroccan Instant Pot lentils! Thank you so much for taking the time to come back and leave a rating and review.
Kelly says
Does anyone know which brands sell tomatoes in 19 oz cans? And where to buy them? I've only ever seen 14.5 oz and 28 oz. Thank you.
Jasmine @ Sweet Peas & Saffron says
Hi Kelly, This is a common question! We are in Canada and for some reason, we have 19 oz cans. A 14.5 oz can should work just fine in this recipe - other readers have reported back that they used a 14.5 oz can of tomatoes for this recipe and it turned out perfectly 🙂 I hope this helps!
Stephanie says
Delicious & husband approved! I luckily omitted the cayenne pepper because I accidentally bought a can of diced tomatoes with jalapeños in it & it gave it a nice kick! Will definitely be making this again and maybe without the jalapeños to taste the difference.
Jasmine @ Sweet Peas & Saffron says
Hi Stephanie, so glad that both you and your husband enjoyed it! The jalapenos sound like a tasty addition. Thank you so much for taking the time to come back and leave a rating and review!
Ioleen says
This recipe has quickly become one of our favourites! I don't have an instant pot, but it turns out beautifully on the stove-top. Thank you!
Jasmine @ Sweet Peas & Saffron says
Hi Loleen, so glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe, and glad to hear that it turned out well on the stove top. Thank you so much for taking the time to come back and leave a rating and review!
Monica says
Hi there Ioleen,
I noticed you made this recipe on the stove-top! I'm hoping too as well, I was wondering if I could please ask, did you soak the Lentils before hand? or just follow the recipe as normal?
thanks!
Ioleen says
Hi Monica,
No I don't soak the lentils first but I'm sure if you did it would reduce the cook time somewhat? All I do is sweat off the onion, carrots & celery together for about 5 mins, then add the rest of the ingredients & let it go on a low simmer for 35-40 mins, until the lentils & sweet potatoes are done. 🙂
Natalie Orth says
If I don't have a pressure cooker, can I use a slow cooker or crock pot for this recipe? Please and thank you. Really hoping I can get away with either of those!
Jasmine @ Sweet Peas & Saffron says
Hi Natalie, we have not tested this recipe in the slow cooker, but another Sweet Peas & Saffron reader did; with success! It sounds like 6 hours in the slow cooker on low, followed by 2 hours on warm worked out. They used 2 cups of water, but suggested that 1 cup of water would be plenty if you wanted a thicker consistency. Refer to Chris's comment for more info. Please report back and let us know how it turns out if you do try it! Enjoy!